Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some partial nudity.
Directed by Gavin Hood (Rendition)
Starring Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Ryan Reynolds, Will.i.am and Taylor Kitsch
The 2009 Summer Blockbuster season has officially begun.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the exciting origin story of the most popular X-man of all time. The opening scene takes place in 1845 somewhere in Canada as a family experiences a tragedy causing James Logan and his older half brother Victor Creed (later known as Sabretooth) to run away from home and never look back. As the opening credits run we see the brothers serving together in the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War, until they are recruited by William Stryker (Danny Huston) to serve with other mutants including Agent Zero, Blob and Deadpool (Ryan Renolds) in a special mercenary unit known as Weapon X. Later Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) joins forces with several other future X-Men legends including Gambit, a young Cyclops and Emma Frost in an epic battle against a powerful force that is determined to eliminate all mutants.
Hugh Jackman returns in the iconic role of Wolverine and does not disappoint. From ferocious fighting to biting wit to a few tender moments, Jackman pulls off each scene effortlessly. The rest of the cast is just as good with Liev Schreiber playing a scarier and funnier Sabertooth and Ryan Renolds is absolutely perfect as Deadpool.
Director Gavin Hood along with screenwriters David Benioff (The Kite Runner) and Skip Woods (Hitman) deserve a huge congratulations for delivering a smart, accurate and very entertaining origins story that brings you right up to the first X-Men film with a little bit of wiggle room for a sequel.
Everything about X-Men Origins: Wolverine is done right. There is plenty of summer-blockbuster-type action, amazing special effects, perfect storytelling and memorable characters. The movie is tightly edited with a running time of one hour and 34 minutes.
Oh yeah… one last thing. The trend continues in those summer superhero blockbusters to add extra scenes during the end credits. You will want to stay in your seat for two final scenes before exiting the theater.
I loved it! It’s definitely worth buying!
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
I think it’s pretty ridiculous for me to say that there is a decent amount of comic book style violence in this film. Wolverine and Sabertooth battle in several scenes when they use their claws and while there is a lot of it – I found it to be on the milder side compared to films like Punisher or 300.
We also see a little too much of Hugh Jackman when he is escaping but there is nothing sexually offensive.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine has a PG-13 rating and I agree. It’s probably too much for younger viewers but it should be fine for teenagers.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
